Improvement in devices for operating car-doors



A. G. GO ODELL, Jr. Devices for Operating Car-Doors.

N 0.154,243 4 Patented Aug.18,1874.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ABNER O. GOODELL, JR, OF SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN DEVICES FOR OPERATING CAR-DOORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 154,243, dated August 18, 1874, application filed J 11116 23, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ABNER G. GOODELL,

' Jr of Salem, Essex county, Massachusetts,.

have invented certain Improvements in Railway-Oar Doors, of which the following is a specification My present improvement relates to the suspension of trundling doors of railway -cars, and is applicable to doors of such construction as cannot be suspended from the top, ow.- ing to a portion of one side being cut away.

It is important, for many reasons, that rolling doors of street-railway cars should be suspended frorn'the top, or at some point above the floor.

In many street-railway cars a portion of the inner upper corner is necessarily cut away to conform to the shape of the side or root of the car, and for this reason rollers sufficient for a part cannot be used above the door to pre- "ent the necessary trundling movement of the latte r. When, however, the rollers are applied at or near the top, as has heretofore been done, the door, when moved by hand in one direction or the other, is liable to become jammed, because the handle of the door or point at which the power isapplied is considerably be low the point or points at which the door takes its bearing, and the door is therefore liable to be tilted, and, consequently, to be jammed.

To avoid these difliculties, and yet avail myself of the benefit of suspending the door from the rail, in lieu of its traveling upon the floor, I combine, with the top rail and its friction-rollers, a second rail and set of rollers,

applied to the door-frame and door, respectively, at a point at about on -a level with, or a little below, the point where the handle is, or where the power is usually applied in opening or closing the door by hand.

The drawings accompanying this specification represent an elevation of the inner end of the frame of a street-railway car and door embodying my improvements.

In these drawings, A represents what may be considered the end frame of a car, which also constitutes the door-frame, the end or corner post being shown at B B, the roofstringer or beam at O, and the door-post at D, while the door is shown at E, such posts being arranged in manner-as now generally practiced.

It will be seen that as one upper corner of the door is cut away, as shown at F, I cannot make use of two sets of rollers in the same plane as applied to the top of the door, as sufficient'width of door is not left.

For this reason, and to carry out the object of my invention, I apply a second horizontal rail, Gr, between one corner post, B, and the door-post D, and at such a height as hereinbefore specified, and I apply to the inner edge of the door a pair of anti-friction rollers, a a, to trundle upon the said rail and fully support this edge of the door.

The upper and usual rail is shown at H in the drawing, and one of two pairs of rollers ordinarily employed is shown at b b as applied to the outer corner of the door.

It will thus be seen that I. suspend the door at two points diagonally opposite each other, or approximately so, and by thus distributing the trundling bearings over a large surface, I obtain a very easy and smooth movement of the door, and entirely obviate jamming or sticking of the latter.

For this reason, as well as for others first alluded to, my improvement, though being in itself considered apparently trifling, yet contains much utility and value in its results.

I claim- The combination, with the car-door, doorframe, and upper rail and rollers, of the second rail, G, and its anti-friction rollers, applied to the door-frame and door, respectively, about the height of or below the door-handle, as and for the purposes set forth.

ABNER G. GOODELL, JR.

Witnesses:

F. .OURrIs, W. E. BOARDMAN. 

